ASSIGNMENT FRONT SHEET

Student Name: Tanya Wood

Certification: I certify that the whole of this work is the result of my individual effort and that all
quotations from books, periodicals etc. have been acknowledged.

Student Signature: Tanya Wood Date:23/05/2020

Student Registration Number: S19004474

Student email address : Tanyamewood@outlook.com S19004474@mail.glyndwr.ac.uk

Programme : MBA Level : 7

Academic Year : Carousel Delivery
Module title : Integrated Communications Assignment no : 1
Module code: ONL 704 5 2020 3 Word guide: 750
Percentage Weighting of this assignment for the module: 25%
Issue date : 25th May 2020
Lecturer : Dr A Mason Second marker : Dr J Green

Notes for students :

1. Electronic copy of assignment must be submitted through Turnitin. Paper copy not required
2. 10% of marks are awarded for satisfactory use of language and/or good presentation.
3. 5% of marks are awarded for satisfactory referencing and/or presentation of a bibliography where either is
required. Note that all referenced work should be obtained from credible sources.
4. Students should ensure that they comply with Glyndwr University’s plagiarism policy.
5. Students should make correct use of the Harvard referencing method.

Learning Outcomes Tested in Assignment 1, 2 and 3:

1. Present critical insights of the components of the marketing communications mix and brand
management.
2. Design and evaluate an integrated marketing communications mix
3. Identify appropriate techniques and resources to build cross functional relationships.
4. Critically evaluate communications role in delivering value to a range of stakeholders.

Assignment feedback:

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A Report for Unicorn Hygienics, Northern Ireland

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Integrated Marketing Communications

Part 1

By Tanya Wood

24th May 2020

2
Index:

Introduction Page 4

The Washroom Services and the Washroom Vending Market Page 4

Market Value Positions Page 5

Unicorn Hygienics Page 5

PESTLE Page 6

Conclusions Page 6

Bibliography Page 7

Introduction

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This report is an integrated communications strategy plan proposal for Unicorn Hygienics (UH), to
inform practice.

This initial report provides overview of UH and the Business to Business (B2B) washroom services
industry in which it operates. There will be two subsequent editions:

 Part 2: Analysis of the current communications strategy

 Part 3: A marketing communications recommendation

Research sources include UH personnel interviews; Online media research of UH, customers and
competitors; The UH Sales and Marketing Plan 2020; The UH support pack sent to new customers;
and reviews of marketing communication models and academic research.

The Washroom Services and The Washroom Vending Market

The UK washroom market is comprised of two hundred service companies, market value unknown.
Customers include PHS, Cannon, Rentokil, Initial. Customers are networked, if a contract is won but
they have geographical gaps they will subcontract. The typical washroom company services
hospitality, education, hospital accounts etc. UK based manufacturers sell to national, international
and global washroom service providers.

In the UK there are a number of legal requirements regarding the removal of sanitary waste,
including that employees should not be responsible for its management and that all sanitary waste
must be handled by a licensed carrier. Each site is serviced a minimum of once a month. Servicing
agreements can include supply of air fresheners, sanitary bins, urinal sanitisers, vending machines,
hand sanitiser products, soaps, and a wide range of other consumables. Consumables (washroom
refills and vending items) deliver the margin opportunity for manufacturing companies.

This is a B2B market, purchases are mainly made from buying centres. Bowercost and Cooper (1992)
discuss that these types of relationships require an initial investment, that could be time, people,
assets etc. The higher these switching costs are perceived by the buying centre, the less flexible they
are to change. As high involvement decision makers, brand choice decisions are a ‘Burden’, Foley et
al (2009) with perceived high risk and low reward.

Washroom companies strive to reduce suppliers used and subsequent invoices. Barriers to switch
supplier include fear of incompatible parts, risk of issues, vending machines adjustments (if possible)
to fit size of new products, and service companies could have thousands to adjust across their
estate. Compounding reluctance to switch, manufacturers offer linked price deals and monitor sales
order activity to avoid lost/ lapse orders.

For these reasons it can be difficult to obtain initial sales, but once a customer is converted,
continuing regular sales can be realised.

Market Value Positions

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Within vending device manufacturing, UH are the UK market leader, competing against Secure
Vending.

The UK washroom services market has four main suppliers, UH, Vectair, P&L and Rubbermaid.
Vectair is the market leader, offering a wide range of products at a premium price. Vectair appear to
invest more in marketing than others, recently generating social media campaigns and website
content from their successful product placement at the NHS Nightingale Hospital, London.

Unicorn Hygienics

As part of the Unicorn Group which consists of five companies, with one hundred employees, UH is a
Northern Ireland family held business since 1984. Roger Pannell is Group Director. Having an
injection moulding business and a steel fabrication business within this group, has presented UH the
capability to manufacture their own products. They leverage other group capabilities such as
warehousing, design etc. Manufacturing local is important to their ethos. UH is a growth business
and a focus within the group. UH employs three dedicated sales professionals.

Mission: Keep a pioneering spirit to develop innovative washroom hygiene.

Vision: Create innovative washroom hygiene systems supplying across the world and providing an
excellent customer service

UH Core Values:

 Trustworthy
 Proactive
 Impact oriented
 Understanding

The mission, vison and core values will be considered in greater detail within the next two reports. In
summary UH is an ethical business, passionate about their customers. They seek to build long-term
relationships centred by innovation, quality, and the environment.

PESTLE

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Conclusions

UH operates in a B2B market predominately made of buying centres, that are evolving with national
and international interests. Marketing communications are not developed in this market. The
requirements of buyers are complex with perceived high risk and low reward. High Involvement
decision making will give way to considerations of the extended problem-solving model.

There is scope in subsequent reports to evaluate current practises of marketing communications,

considering DRIP and using the marketing communication mix model. This is expected to advance
toward making considered recommendations. Broadly speaking the market remains unsegmented,
and target audiences remain unidentified. At this early stage, opportunities may be considered in
exploring the ecological desires of customers further, informing of UH’s differentiated position of
holding strong environmental credentials, should that be in line with identified target audience.

Bibliography

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Bowersox, D. and Cooper, M. (1992) Strategic Marketing Channel Management, New York: McGraw-
Hill.

Foley, C., Greene, J. and Cultra, M. (2009) Effective ads in a digital age, Admap, 503 (March), retrived
2 June 2010 from www.warc.com/articlecentre.

Unicorn Hygienics Website, (2020). Available from: https://unicorn-hygienics.com/

[electronically accessed 24th May 2020].